ICJC News Release: Experts say CABO will make new Chicago homes healthier, reduce energy bills, and create jobs. Peoples Gas President called out for prior false testimony.

Jim Chilsen — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 15:00:21 +0000

NOTE: The following is a news release from the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition (ICJC), of which CUB is a member. CHICAGO – At an April 3 subject matter hearing in Chicago City Council Chambers, experts made it clear the Clean and Affordable Buildings Ordinance (CABO) will reduce energy bills, make new Chicago homes healthier, and create thousands of new, high-paying jobs that don’t require a 4-year college degree. (Read CUB’s Q&A on CABO, and send a message in favor of the proposed ordinance.) Dr. Juanita Mora, a pediatric allergist in Chicago, referenced a peer-reviewed study that found one in five Illinois childhood asthma cases is attributable to gas-stove pollution. “Black people have the highest rates of asthma in the U.S. and are more likely to experience serious complications from the condition. But it’s just not asthma. Dozens of health-harming, hazardous pollutants come from burning gas in buildings. A study from Stanford University shows that even when a gas stove is turned off, it leaks benzene – a known carcinogen linked to cancers of the blood,” warned Dr. Mora. The Stanford University study also found that benzene tended to spread throughout the home – including into bedrooms – and linger for hours. Sarah Moskowitz, Executive Director at Citizens Utility Board, made it clear that gas isn’t just unhealthy; expensive gas is creating an affordability crisis that CABO can begin to solve. “For years now, about one in five Peoples Gas customers have been consistently 30 days or more behind on their bills. And in Black and Brown neighborhoods like Englewood, South Shore, Chatham, Auburn Gresham and Woodlawn, 30-40 percent of our neighbors are chronically unable to afford their gas bills. The average debt is about $500 or worse–sometimes it has approached $1,000. Despite what Peoples Gas says, gas is far from being a cheap, reliable way to heat our homes,” said Moskowitz. A 2022 report by Energy Futures Group found Chicago residents living in all-electric new multi-family and single-family homes could see energy bill savings upwards of $1,000 in the first year alone. CABO can make those projected savings a reality. Moskowitz also pointed out that during a November 6th hearing of the Environmental Protection and Energy Committee, Peoples Gas President Torrance Hinton testified in front of many of the same Alders presiding over today’s hearing that the company knew of no research linking health risks to gas. Hinton’s comment immediately raised eyebrows, with Committee Chairperson Ald. Maria Hadden declaring that it sounded like she was at a hearing on “Big Tobacco.” We now know Hinton’s claim was completely false. Two weeks ago, WGN-TV reported that 50 years ago in 1974, the then-President of Peoples Gas served on the board of a research organization that conducted studies “concerned” with what they called “pollutant emissions” generated by gas burners. Ald. Hadden added, “When Peoples Gas didn’t tell the truth about the health risks associated with gas that their company has known about for 50 years, it makes me question their testimony on affordability, jobs, and safety as well.” “All electric buildings are cheaper to build and cheaper to maintain. Newly constructed […]

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CUB Q&A: What is the Clean and Affordable Buildings Ordinance (CABO)?

Jim Chilsen — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 18:23:58 +0000

The Clean and Affordable Buildings Ordinance (CABO) is a proposed Chicago ordinance that is supported by a coalition of more than 50 consumer, community, environmental, environmental justice, and faith organizations, including CUB, because it will lower utility costs, improve public health, create jobs and reduce pollution. (Read the news release from the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, and watch the news conference announcing CABO.) What does CABO do? The ordinance would set an indoor emissions standard in newly built commercial and residential buildings/homes and major building additions.* That accounts for about 0.5 percent of Chicago buildings. This emission standard would require zero-to-low-emission energy systems in new construction, a key first step in a necessary, long-term transition away from dirty, expensive fossil fuels like gas. *To be specific, the ordinance would include additions that increase the conditioned floor area of an existing building by the greater of 10,000 square feet or 25 percent of the pre-addition conditioned floor area. Why is CABO beneficial to Chicagoans? There are many good reasons to support CABO, but as a consumer advocate, CUB is most concerned about how this measure is the right move for our bottom lines. It’s the first step to gaining some independence from a gas system that is costing us a fortune and making climate change worse. Multiple studies show that alternatives to gas-heated buildings, such as electric buildings, are cheaper to build and maintain. RMI’s analysis found that all-electric households saved money in every scenario assessed. An NRDC study estimated that Chicagoans can save between $15,000 – $20,000 over a 20-year period. The current gas system is unaffordable, and getting worse. Consistently, about 1 in 5 customers are behind on their gas bills–and in some neighborhoods 40-50 percent are in chronic debt–and that was before the gas utility received a state-record $300 million gas hike. CABO is about good planning. Because consumers like to save money, electric heat pumps (an alternative to gas heat), are beginning to outsell gas furnaces. So while it won’t happen overnight, the long-term transition away from gas is already happening, and we need to manage it thoughtfully to make sure all consumers can save money on their heating bills. Instead of sinking more of our money into an expensive, unsustainable gas system, we should start planning for how we can help all households have access to cheaper and cleaner ways to heat our homes. CABO would be a first step in that process. What are other benefits to CABO? It would protect our health: Burning fossil fuels like methane gas in our homes produces dangerous air pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, fine particulate matter and cancer-causing benzene. It would protect our climate: Fossil fuel use in commercial and residential buildings accounts for more than two-thirds of Chicago’s climate pollution. It would create jobs: Moving to cleaner, more efficient homes and buildings will create thousands of union jobs. For example, there is rising demand for heat pump technology, which requires more trained technicians. Do other communities have ordinances like CABO? Yes, 50 other municipalities have passed similar policies, including Los Angeles and New York. Are […]

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Clean and Affordable Buildings Ordinance Archives | Citizens Utility Board

ICJC News Release: Experts say CABO will make new Chicago homes healthier, reduce energy bills, and create jobs. Peoples Gas President called out for prior false testimony.

CUB Q&A: What is the Clean and Affordable Buildings Ordinance (CABO)?